My Hoop Coop

[TJAnonymous]

Looks like a nerve was hit.

I was treated with the same scrutiny when I first signed up here regarding coops.

Its only right to call folks out on things wrong with other folks coop set up, and its certainly not personal.

We're all looking for the best for our birds and some of us are more aware of that then others.

Might want to check your shoulders because it seems like you might have some flakes on them.

Remember, you don't have to take the advice given, but you opened yourself up to criticizing when you started the thread. Certainly you didn't expect everyone to just automatically agree with everything you're doing just "because".


That being said, with the additional photos it does seem more promising as far as the ventilation goes.

I wouldn't call it a tweaked nerve. More like a sardonic annoyance at people who come across as arrogant know-it-alls who think their opinion is some ironclad, inflexible rule for every situation. Nothing... I repeat....nothing in design construction is inflexible. There are many ways to accomplish a goal in construction in different ways. The recommendations you see on this site are just that....recommendations. If you understand the mechanics and physics of construction, you can accomplish the same functionality in different ways.

And starting a thread should not give other people an open season to be rude, condescending, or lack manners. We can agree to disagree and still be polite and respectful. Some people on this thread did share a contrary opinion and were polite about it. So yeah, if you are really taking the position to justify rude behavior when sharing opinions then maybe you are part of what is wrong in society today.

This is the last time I will address the rudeness. It's derailing the purpose of the thread. Anything else said will simply be ignored. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Opening up the sides in the summer addresses the raised concerns about summer ventilation and is no different than open air coops that many people have on here and use successfully. Flipping the tarp over to the silver side as what was mentioned as the plan by the original poster would negate the concern of the black tarp absorbing heat. As far as the raised concerns about ammonia being trapped at the top, the sides being open is a good example of cross ventilation which is effective and the already in place ventilation at the top ends of the coop would create a vacuum for any ammonia or hot air that wasn't ventilated across. Which is just basic physics. The origin poster addressed every concerned raised with already thought out plans to address any possibilities that may need adjustments. This coop is well planned and will be perfect for Arkansas weather well done!

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I wouldn't call it a tweaked nerve. More like a sardonic annoyance at people who come across as arrogant know-it-alls who think their opinion is some ironclad, inflexible rule for every situation. Nothing... I repeat....nothing in design construction is inflexible. There are many ways to accomplish a goal in construction in different ways. The recommendations you see on this site are just that....recommendations. If you understand the mechanics and physics of construction, you can accomplish the same functionality in different ways.

And starting a thread should not give other people an open season to be rude, condescending, or lack manners. We can agree to disagree and still be polite and respectful. Some people on this thread did share a contrary opinion and were polite about it. So yeah, if you are really taking the position to justify rude behavior when sharing opinions then maybe you are part of what is wrong in society today.

This is the last time I will address the rudeness. It's derailing the purpose of the thread. Anything else said will simply be ignored. Thanks for your feedback.

I don't want to derail your thread either, but I am going to briefly address your reply.

I re-read the entire thread and I didn't see anyone being "rude", only offering suggestions.

Once folks started with suggestions YOU started listing "credentials". Things escalated a tad but not at all anything I would call rude or belligerent.

Again, if you don't want folks to critique things pertaining to you then you should probably not start topics on the internet, or maybe stay off it altogether.

You suggest that I might be part of the problem with "society", well I can tell you that folks that receive opinions they don't like and then blame that on "rudeness" or whatever other "feelz" are the real problem. Not being able to take criticism or differing opinions are just one of many "problems with society".


Again, I hope all goes well with your coop progression and your chickens. I'll refrain from offering you anymore advice as its clear you're "above it", even though you claim to disregard "know it all's".

 

[Colorful egg carton]

Oh I was wondering with the framing why it has that space on the left handside in that one pic! It’s the hatch for the chickies (duh!)

How are your nest boxes setup? My ladies fight like crazy over 1 nestbox meanwhile I have 6 boxes available!

I have never seen a chicken house that didn't have a preferred box!! And I don't know how they pick the "good" one...I watch them run back and forth from the blackberry bushes all day with their knees together hoping the nest on the far right is finally available!! Some of the younger layers have not made it and I have found eggs on the path, in the kiddie pool dust bath AND in the rubber water bowls they stand in when it is really hot!!

 

[laboroflove]

Nice set up. I've tried hoop houses before (not with chickens) and they didn't last long. Granted I didn't do as nice a job lol I don't have the knowledge really to build ANYTHING hardly. That's where my husband comes in.

 

[Colorful egg carton]

I don't need a degree to know they get miserably hot because I have one the same size.

We built a very similar hoop coop several years ago with an easy clean drop door in the wooden sleeping quarters, a storage compartment that holds the water tank for the nipple system and misc. stuff. We borrowed heavily from Carolina Coops and a YouTube version we really admired. It moved as a tractor for a while, and now is stationary with an add on! Our biggest mistake was putting the windows right where nice cooling breezes would blow over my precious angels I mean laying hens. We can slide the plexiglass (installed over permanent hailscreen) as far open or closed as we want but still windows in wrong place. (My dh made free standing roosts we take the leg extension off so it sits below the window in the winter, screw back on in the summer.
We have vents in the offset metal roof. No problems until this year. We were on vaca when unexpected coldest storm hit. We think ice/snow built up somehow in roof vent. (Helper did not know better, he did get all their (heated) water unfrozen). But Cornflake, Dotting and WitchiePoo got frostbite. Heartbreaking!
I have had chickens for most of my life and even in the most basic chicken house I grew up with no frostbite. We build a high end luxury condo coop and they are injured. Well, that is a lot of words to say, you can never think of everything yourself no matter what. That is why you join a community.

Looks like a nerve was hit.

I was treated with the same scrutiny when I first signed up here regarding coops.

Its only right to call folks out on things wrong with other folks coop set up, and its certainly not personal.

We're all looking for the best for our birds and some of us are more aware of that then others.

Might want to check your shoulders because it seems like you might have some flakes on them.

Remember, you don't have to take the advice given, but you opened yourself up to criticizing when you started the thread. Certainly you didn't expect everyone to just automatically agree with everything you're doing just "because".


That being said, with the additional photos it does seem more promising as far as the ventilation g

 

[ChicFil- A]

My DH and I built a hoop coop last weekend. Sharing pictures from the build for those who might want to do something similar..

Specifications and requirements -

Inside Sq footage - 6 ft x 8 ft
Poop boards
Adjustable ventilation
Automatic chicken door

Here's final product (inside and front) :

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I started this project by painting and/or watersealing all the wood FIRST. That took me a couple of days.

Next, I laid out the bottom frame in the general area. I used 2x6x8s for the bottom frame. I doubled up the 2x6s along the front and back which will support the end cap walls. Because I wanted my inner dimensions to be 6 ft x 8 ft, this meant I didn't need to cut any of boards and I could utilize the extra space on the front and back end caps to create an overhang.
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Next we laid down our cattle panels side by side. Cattle panels are 16 ft x 50 in. Which means they will have a 4" overlap in the center if you want to attach them to an 8 ft long board. To make this easier, we used zip ties to hold the overlapping pieces together and give both panels some stability so you can handle it as one piece instead of 2 separate pieces. Once it was zip-tied, we used conduit straps to attach the cattle panels to one length of the 2x6x8 side wall. Once this is attached along one side, it will be very easy to push the cattle panels up in the center and adhere the remaining side with conduit straps.
Conduit strap -
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We used this chart to estimate a center height for our hoop coop. You'll need this height for planning out your end cap walls.
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Beginning to build the front end back end cap walls. We built in "horizontal" supports into our wall frame to provide a place to nail in and secure the poop boards.
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Once the poop boards were installed, we started to cover the frame. We used 4x8 (painted) particle board sheets. To help line up the bottom correctly, we sandwiched (2) 2x4x8s together and laid at the end edges between the 2x6 walls (the sides that the cattle panels are attached to). We used these 2x4s to support the weight of the 4x8 sheet while it is held along the length of the end cap. This allows you to use a marker and trace where the cattle panel touches the 4x8 sheet. This traces helps you identify the arc you need to cut in the panel to make it fit perfectly. After your sheet is cut, simply push the 2x4 supports against the end cap wall and use it to support your sheet while you trace out any openings such as the door, window, etc. We followed this process for the front and back end cap walls.
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Next we wrapped the cattle panels with hardware cloth. We used zip ties (again) to generally secure the hardcloth in place. Next week used chicken wire as an apron around the bottom along the ground to discourage predators from digging. We slipped the apron wire underneath the hardware cloth and then secured BOTH together with screws and washers. Along the end cap sides, we used cut the hardware cloth, folded it over to the outside frame and secured it with staples.
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Afterwards, we pulled a heavy duty tarp over the hoop coop. Since it was bigger than we needed, we carefully folded the excess underneath so it wouldn't stick out. On the west side where rain & wind predominantly approach, we secured the tarp to the frame with washers & screws through the metal grommets on the tarp.
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We used polyester rope at 18" intervals over the top of the hoop to secure the tarp in place. One the 2nd side, we slightly drilled in the screws & washers but left enough room to allow us to loop the rope and tighten it down before then tightening down the screws & washers the rest of the way. Here's the result.
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We had severe storms just a few days later. The tarp never budged and the coop stayed warm & dry. In the summer when we get triple digits and high humidity, I can easily roll up one or both sides of the tarp to allow a breeze/cross-breeze. This capability was one of the most important reasons why I went with this type of design.

Wow! you have taken panel coops houses to a new level. Any hen would be proud to call this home!

 

[ChicFil- A]

Nice set up. I've tried hoop houses before (not with chickens) and they didn't last long. Granted I didn't do as nice a job lol I don't have the knowledge really to build ANYTHING hardly. That's where my husband comes in.

Outstanding design and execution… you have done an outstanding job on this coop…. You must enter this in the coop build section, i’m in awe of everything you added including the hardware cloth apron for predictors, I can’t see a thing you missed, Hreat job

 

[ChicFil- A]

Outstanding design and execution… you have done an outstanding job on this coop…. You must enter this in the coop build section, i’m in awe of everything you added including the hardware cloth apron for predictors, I can’t see a thing you missed, Hreat job